A proud unapologetic Black trans woman speaking truth to power and discussing the world around her since 2006

Friday, May 11, 2012

NBJC Applauds President Obama’s Endorsement of Marriage Equality

TransGriot Note: The May 9 press release from the National Black Justice Coalition concerning the POTUS' marriage endorsement

Washington, D.C. – May 9, 2012 – Today, President Obama affirmed his
support of marriage for loving and committed same-sex couples. The
National Black Justice Coalition (NBJC), the nation’s leading Black LGBT
civil rights organization, applauds the President for this historic
endorsement of the freedom to marry.

“It is an honor to witness our President take such a strong stand in
support of gay and lesbian couples across the country,” says Sharon
Lettman-Hicks, Executive Director and CEO of the National Black Justice
Coalition. “This affirmation reinforces the Administration’s ongoing
commitment to LGBT Americans and our families.”

The President has had an exemplary record advancing protections for
the LGBT community. However, he explained that his position on marriage
equality had been changing and had not explicitly proclaimed his support
of extending marriage to gay and lesbian couples until now. Despite the
repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” ending the legal defense of the
Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), endorsing the Student Non-Discrimination
Act (SNDA) and more, President Obama had been under increased pressure
for his self-described “evolving” position on marriage equality when
Vice President Biden said he was “absolutely comfortable” with marriage
for loving and committed same-sex couples.

“As my (s)hero, Barbara Jordan, once said, ‘one thing is clear to me:
we, as human beings, must be willing to accept people who are different
from ourselves,’” Lettman-Hicks adds. “Here is President Obama, the
nation’s first Black president, taking a position that no sitting
president in history has had the fortitude to ever take. If anyone in
America has ever wondered what courageous leadership looks like, here it
is.”

###

The National Black Justice Coalition (NBJC) is a
civil rights organization dedicated to empowering Black lesbian, gay,
bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people. NBJC’s mission is to eradicate
racism and homophobia.

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About The TransGriot

Monica Roberts, AKA the TransGriot (Gree-oh) is a native Houstonian, GLAAD award nominated blogger, writer, and award winning trans human rights advocate. She's the founding editor of TransGriot, and her writing has appeared at the Bilerico Project, Ebony.com, The Huffington Post and the Advocate.
She works to foster understanding and acceptance of trans people inside and outside communities of color and was recently honored with the Virginia Prince Transgender Pioneer Award

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The TransGriot blog's mission is to become the griot of our community. I will introduce you to and talk about your African descended trans brothers and trans sisters across the Diaspora, reclaim and document our chocolate flavored trans history, speak truth to power, comment on the things that impact our trans community from an Afrocentric perspective and enlighten you about the general things that go on around me and in the communities that I am a member of.

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